Can Twins count on Royce Lewis? Another injury raises big questions

Royce Lewis can potentially be a franchise cornerstone for the Minnesota Twins. But as the 2025 season approaches, another injury —a hamstring strain suffered while running out a ground ball — raises the same frustrating question: Can the Twins rely on him to stay healthy?

Lewis’ talent has never been in doubt. The first overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, he was a consensus top-10 prospect with elite bat speed, defensive versatility and game-changing athleticism. He’s shown why he was so highly regarded when he's been on the field. In just 58 games in 2023, he hit .309 with 15 home runs and a .921 OPS, giving the Twins a glimpse of his star potential. But his career has been defined more by injuries than by his production, and that trend continues as the new season begins.

His health struggles started in 2021 when he tore his right ACL, wiping out what should have been his MLB debut season. After rehabbing for over a year, he finally made it to the big leagues in 2022 — only to suffer another ACL tear in the same knee just 12 games into his career. The injuries didn’t stop there. In 2023 and 2024, Lewis missed time with oblique, hamstring, quad and adductor strains, limiting him to just 140 total games across the last two seasons.

With the 2025 season about to begin, Lewis is again sidelined. While the severity of his latest hamstring strain is still unclear, his track record suggests the Twins will take a cautious approach. It’s another frustrating setback for a player who had his first fully healthy offseason and seemed primed to play an entire season for the first time.

The good news for Minnesota is that it has the depth to absorb his absence. Jose Miranda, who bounced back from a tough 2023 season to hit .284 in 2024, is the most likely candidate to take over at third base. Brooks Lee, the team’s top infield prospect, could shift from second to third if needed, making room for Edouard Julien or another young player. Willi Castro, a super-utility option, gives the Twins even more flexibility. But while these players are capable, none have the star upside of a healthy Lewis.

At some point, the Twins must consider whether they can genuinely build around Lewis long-term. Is his constant injury trouble just a string of bad luck, or does his body not hold up under the grind of an MLB season? He’s still just 25, but the list of injuries is growing longer, and each setback makes it harder to trust that he can be the everyday cornerstone the team envisioned when it drafted him.

For now, the Twins will adjust as they have before, hoping Lewis can return sooner rather than later. But if this cycle of injuries continues, discussing his future in Minnesota may become unavoidable.